Trolling lead



April 4, 1950 INVENTOR. WITNESSES;

Joiygnmrtelz 8612 J. MORTENSEN 2,502,875

TROLLING LEAD Filed April 8, 1949 Patented Apr. 4, 1950 "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,502,875 TROLLING LEAD Jorgen Mortensen, Sitka, Territory of Alaska Application April 8, 1949, Serial No. 86,268

vision of a lead sinker which will not become.

entangled or snagged on rocking sea floors or beds thus preventing the trolling spoons and other tackle from becoming lost.

Another object is to provide a lead trolling sinker which will roll on the sea bottom or floor and be self-clearing of various obstructions such as rocks and underwater plant life.

Another object is to provide a trolling lead or sinker which will roll on the sea floor or bed of the body of water being fished, and will not cause Figure 1 is a perspective view of the lead trolling sinker showing the manner in which the line is connected to a rotatable ring by means of a swivel connection.

Figure 2 is a diametrical cross sectional view of the trolling lead or sinker showing the manner in which the connecting ring is rotatably mounted in a groove in the body of the sinker or lead, and

Figure 3 is a diametrical cross sectional view of the trolling lead or sinker showing axis of the same displaced angularly 90 from the position illustrated in Figure 2 to show the manner in which the connecting ring is attached to the sinker or lead body.

In the drawing, and more in detail, there is shown a trolling lead or sinker including a spherical body portion generally designated 5 formed of lead or other heavy metal and having an annular circumferential groove or recess 6, dividing the body portion 5 into hemispherical sections 1 connected by a round bearing portion 8.

Mounted on the round bearing portion 8 is a bearing sleeve 9 which is passed through central alined openings in a pair of disc-like plates 10. The ends of the sleeve 9 are flanged as at l B after being passed through the central openings in v the disc-like plates ID to retain said plates in spaced apart relation. The peripheral edges of the disc-like plates I0 are flanged as at I2 and said flanges are received in recesses i4 formed in the opposed edge faces of the annular groove 6 so that said flanges will lie flush with the spher- I ical contour of the body portion 5.

Surrounding the bearing sleeve 9 is a rotatable ring [5 which is bent as at It to form diverging arm portions I I connected at their outer ends by a U-shaped p portion l8. The arms H are of a length to project outwardly of the annular groove 6 a suilicient distance beyond the spherical surface of the body portion 5-and thus enable a swivel connection 20 to be affixed thereto. The swivel connection includes rotatable sections 2i and 22 having attachment eyes 23 and 24 respectively. The loop 18 is received in the eye 2a and similarly, a fish line 25 is received in the eye 23.

In constructing the lead sinker 5, the bearing sleeve 9 is passed through the central openings in the disc-like members l0 and the ends of the sleeve are spun or overturned to provide flanges to retain the disc-like members in spaced apart position. Simultaneously, the peripheral edges of the disc-like plates [0 are flanged on their peripheral edges to provide annular surfaces as above described. After the bearing member has thus been formed and the rotatable ring slipped in place over the bearing sleeve, the assembly is placed into a mold having a spherical mold cavity with the disc-like plate members extending diametrically thereof. When the assembly is in position in the mold cavity, lead is poured to fill the spherical cavity and form the body portion 5 with the central round bearing 8 passing through the central opening in the sleeve 9, and to securely anchor the sleeve 9 and disc-like plate members ID in position. During the molding process, the space between the disc-like plates can be filled with molding sand or blocked off from the sprue opening of the mold so that upon removal, the space or annular groove 6 will be formed in the completed lead or sinker.

In use, the sinker or lead is afiixed to the end of the fish line 25 and the trolling spoon or other artificial bait (not shown) is applied to the line above the lead a distance depending upon the depth of the water being fished. As the line is drawn forward through the water, the lead 5 will roll on the bed of the body of water and will offer suflicient drag to hold the line taut, but will not become snagged in rocks or rough bed surfaces. The body portion 5 has a propensity to rotate about a horizontal axis by reason of the fact that the groove 6 forms vertical rudder sur- 3 faces for holding the spherical body 5 in a position with its spin axis horizontal.

It is to be understood, that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred embodiment of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. In a trolling lead, a spherical body portion having an annular groove, a sleeve mounted in said groove, a pair of disc-like plate members lining the walls of said grooves, a ring surrounding the sleeve, and a loop formed on said ring for receiving a fish line.

2. In a trolling lead, a spherical body having an annular groove dividing the 'body into hemispherical sections connected by a central round bearing, a sleeve mounted on said round bearing, a pair of disc-like plate members having central openings for being received onsaid sleeve, :a ring rotatably mounted on said sleeve, and a loop on said ring projecting from said annular groove and beyond the spherical body to facilitate attachment of a fish line.

3. In a trolling lead, alspherical body having an annular groove dividing the body into hemispherical sections connected by a central round bearing, a sleeve mounted .on said round bearing, a pair of disc-like plate members having central openings for being received on said sleeve, a ring ,rotatably mounted on said sleeve, and a loop on said ring projectingfrom saidrannular groove and beyond the spherical :body to facilitate attachment of a fish line, said body being formed of lead and said sleeve and disc-like members being formed of a relatively harder metal.

4. In a trolling lead, a spherical body having an annular groove dividing the body into hemispherical sections connected by a central round bearing, a sleeve mounted on said round bearing, a pair of disc-like plate members having central openings for being received on said sleeve, a ring rotatably mounted on said sleeve, and a loop on said ring projecting from said annular groove and beyond the spherical body to facilitate atitachmentlof a fish line, said sleeve beingzprovided with flanged ends to retain-said disc-like'members in spaced apart relation.

5. In a trolling lead, a spherical body having an annular groove dividing the body into hemispherical sections connected by a central round :bearing, a sleeve mounted on said round bearing, a pair of disc-like plate members having central openings for being received on said sleeve, a ring 1 rotatably mounted on said sleeve, and a loop on said ring projecting from said annular groove and beyond the spherical body to facilitate :at- :tachment of a xfish line, .said disc-like members being flanged on their outer peripheral edges to overlie the edges .of said hemispherical sections.

JORGEN MORTENSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are "of :record in the file of this patent: 

